Editing Macedonian language (section)

==Geographical distribution==
{{Further|Geographical distribution of Macedonian speakers|Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia|Slavic dialects of Greece}}
Although the precise number of [[native language|native]] and [[second language]] speakers of Macedonian is unknown due to the policies of neighboring countries and emigration of the population, estimates ranging between 1.4 million and 3.5 million have been reported.<ref name="ethnologue">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mkd |title=Ethnologue report for Macedonian |work=[[Ethnologue]] |date=19 February 1999 |access-date=7 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901171251/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mkd |archive-date=1 September 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Friedman|Garry|Rubino |2001|page=435}} According to the 2002 census, the total population of [[North Macedonia]] was 2,022,547, with 1,344,815 citizens declaring Macedonian their [[First language|native language]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Попис на населението, домаќинствата и становите во Република Македонија, 2002|trans-title=Census of the population, households and dwellings in the Republic of Macedonia, 2002|work=Book X|publisher=Republic of Macedonia State Statistical Office|date=May 2005|location=Skopje|url=http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/knigaX.pdf |access-date=18 March 2020|language=mk, en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501180540/http://www.stat.gov.mk/publikacii/knigaX.pdf|archive-date=1 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Macedonian is also studied and spoken to various degrees as a second language by all [[Demographics of North Macedonia#ethnic groups|ethnic minorities]] in the country.{{sfn|Friedman|Garry|Rubino|2001|page=435}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Македонскиот јазик како втор и странски: терминолошки прашања|language=mk|trans-title=Macedonian as a foreign and second language: terminological questions |first1=Emilija|last1=Crvenkovska|first2=Elena|last2=Petroska|publisher=[[Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje]] |url=http://www.ffzg.unizg.hr/fisol/zbornik.pdf|access-date=18 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616214059/http://www.ffzg.unizg.hr/fisol/zbornik.pdf|archive-date=16 June 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

Outside North Macedonia, there are small [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|ethnic Macedonian]] minorities that speak Macedonian in neighboring countries including 4.697 in [[Albania]] (1989 census),<ref>{{cite book |author1=Artan Hoxha |author2=Alma Gurraj |chapter=Local Self-Government and Decentralization: Case of Albania. History, Reforms and Challenges |title=Local Self Government and Decentralization in South - East Europe |series=Proceedings of the workshop held in Zagreb, Croatia. 6 April 2001 |publisher=Friedrich Ebert Stiftung |place=Zagreb |year=2001 |page=219 |url=http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kroatien/50257.pdf |access-date=7 August 2021}}</ref> 1,609 in [[Bulgaria]] (2011 census)<ref>{{cite web|title=Население по етническа група и майчин език|trans-title=Population per ethnic group and mother tongue|language=bg |year=2011|publisher=Bulgarian Census Bureau|access-date=18 March 2020 |url-status=live |url=https://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R9.aspx |archive-date=19 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219105400/http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/Reports/2/2/R9.aspx}}</ref> and 12,706 in [[Serbia]] (2011 census).<ref>{{cite web |title=2011 Census – Mother tongue |url=http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/Public/ReportResultView.aspx?rptId=3690 |access-date=20 January 2015 |publisher=[[Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141023154939/http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/Public/ReportResultView.aspx?rptId=3690 |archive-date=23 October 2014}}</ref> The exact number of speakers of Macedonian in Greece is difficult to ascertain due to the country's policies. [[Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia|Estimates of Slavophones]] ranging anywhere between 50,000 and 300,000 in the last decade of the 20th century have been reported.{{sfn|Hill|1999|page=19}}{{sfn|Poulton|2000|page=167}} Approximately 580,000 Macedonians live outside North Macedonia per 1964 estimates with [[Australia]], [[Canada]], and the [[United States]] being home to the largest emigrant communities. Consequently, the number of speakers of Macedonian in these countries include 66,020 (2016 census),<ref>{{cite web|title=Language spoken at home - Ranked by size |publisher=Profile ID |url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/language|access-date=18 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226071838/https://profile.id.com.au/australia/language|archive-date=26 December 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> 15,605 (2016 census)<ref>{{cite web|title=Data tables, 2016 Census |work=Statistics Canada |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&A=R&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=01&GL=-1&GID=1235625&GK=1&GRP=1&O=D&PID=110212&PRID=10&PTYPE=109445&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2016&THEME=118&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0|date=2 August 2017|access-date=18 March 2020|url-status=live|archive-date=20 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220044913/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&A=R&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=01&GL=-1&GID=1235625&GK=1&GRP=1&O=D&PID=110212&PRID=10&PTYPE=109445&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2016&THEME=118&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0}}</ref> and 22,885 (2010 census), respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2009-2013|publisher=United States Census |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2013/demo/2009-2013-lang-tables.html|access-date=18 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412195838/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2013/demo/2009-2013-lang-tables.html |archive-date=12 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Macedonian also has more than 50,000 native speakers in countries of [[Western Europe]], predominantly in [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Italy]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk//Upload/ContentManagement/Files/Broj%20na%20makedonski%20iselenici%20vo%20svetot.doc |title=Броj на македонски иселеници во светот |trans-title=Number of Macedonian immigrants in the world |publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (North Macedonia)]] |access-date=30 April 2020|language=mk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530070621/http://www.mfa.gov.mk//Upload/ContentManagement/Files/Broj%20na%20makedonski%20iselenici%20vo%20svetot.doc |archive-date=30 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Macedonian language has the status of an official language only in North Macedonia, and is a recognized minority and official language in parts of Albania ([[Pustec]]),<ref name="Naumovski">{{cite news|url=http://balkans.courriers.info/article24081.html|title=Minorités en Albanie : les Macédoniens craignent la réorganisation territoriale du pays|last=Naumovski|first=Jaklina|language=fr|date=25 January 2014|publisher=Balkan Courriers|access-date=16 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517121607/http://balkans.courriers.info/article24081.html|archive-date=17 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="see">{{cite web|url=http://miris.eurac.edu/mugs2/do/blob.pdf?type=pdf&serial=1003744282130|title=On the Status of the Minorities in the Republic of Albania|publisher=Albanian [[Helsinki Committee]]|location=[[Sofia]]|year=2000|access-date=27 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224002/http://miris.eurac.edu/mugs2/do/blob.pdf?type=pdf&serial=1003744282130|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Romania]], Serbia ([[Jabuka, Pančevo|Jabuka]] and [[Plandište]])<ref name="serbia">{{cite web|url=https://sitel.com.mk/makedoncite-vo-srbija-gi-uzhivaat-site-malcinski-prava-kako-i-srbite-vo-makedonija|title=Македонците во Србија ги уживаат сите малцински права, како и србите во Македонија|trans-title=Macedonians in Serbia have all the minority rights just as Serbians in Macedonia|language=mk|publisher=[[Sitel (TV channel)|Sitel]]|first=Valentin|last=Nikolovski|date=30 October 2016|access-date=26 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326215220/https://sitel.com.mk/makedoncite-vo-srbija-gi-uzhivaat-site-malcinski-prava-kako-i-srbite-vo-makedonija|archive-date=26 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].<ref name="bih">{{cite web|title=Reservations and Declarations for Treaty No.148 – European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/148/declarations?p_auth=63PpH3zN|publisher=[[Council of Europe]]|access-date=25 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208122308/http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/148/declarations?p_auth=63PpH3zN|archive-date=8 December 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> There are provisions to learn Macedonian in Romania as Macedonians are an officially recognized minority group.<ref name="rou">{{cite web |url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/search-on-treaties/-/conventions/treaty/148/declarations |title=European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages |publisher=Council of Europe |access-date=8 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018085208/http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/search-on-treaties/-/conventions/treaty/148/declarations |archive-date=18 October 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Macedonian is studied and taught at various universities across the world and research centers focusing on the language are found at universities across Europe ([[France]], [[Germany]], [[Austria]], [[Italy]], [[Russia]]) as well as Australia, Canada and the United States ([[Chicago]] and [[North Carolina]]).{{sfn|Usikova|2005|page=105–106}}